Behind the Glass
by ammstar11
Summary: Nico is trapped within a bottle on a model ship by a mysterious man. Years go by and he begins to lose hope of ever getting out but then Will find the bottle and though Nico can't talk to him he can still talk to Nico and he promises to free him. Will spends his whole summer talking to the boy in the bottle until one day it's stolen and Will thinks he'll never see him again.
1. Chapter 1 Boat in a bottle

**Behind the Glass**

 **Okay so I was listening to the song 10 Black Roses by The Rasmus and this is what came to mind when they talked about a boat in a bottle. I have a different story planned for this song as well but it's a totally different plot.**

 **Chapter 1 Boat in a bottle**

Years ago when Nico was a small child, a mysterious man approaches him and asks him if he likes boats and pirates when he sees him reading a book about pirates and Nico smiles and nods excitedly. The man tells him that he knows where a real pirate ship is and asks if Nico wants to see it. Nico agrees and goes with the man and when the man tells Nico that he can go aboard Nico rushes up the plank but then something happens and the next thing Nico know his world has become much smaller.

…

Decades go by and Will Solace is at his uncle's house and exploring the attic because there's nothing else to do. He starts rummaging through boxes until he finds what looks like an old chest so he opens it and finds things like shells and other trinkets one would relate to the sea.

Will is mildly curious about them but what grabs his attention is a glass bottle with a model ship inside. It looks so life like as if it could really sail the seas even as small as it is. The longer Will stares at it the more transfixed he becomes because he starts to see something moving inside, no it's _someone_.

Will gently places the bottle on top of the closed chest and rushes back to a box he had looked in earlier to grab the magnifying glass that was there, then he rushes back to the bottle and sure enough there's a person on the deck. As he looks closer he sees that it's a boy about his age, his heart starts to race as he wonders if this is magic.

"Hello there." Will says excitedly and smiles even more when the boy looks at him. Did he really hear him?

"You're real right?" Will asked and the boy nodded.

Will didn't understand how this was possible but it must mean that magic was real right?

"My name's Will, what's yours?" he asked but the boy just looked down sadly and shook his head.

Will's brow furrowed as he wondered what was wrong.

"You don't have a name?"

The boy shook his head while motioning with his arms that that was wrong.

"You can't speak?" Will asked and the boy looked like he was talking and gestured to his mouth then pointed at the glass around him and Will began to understand. "You can hear me but I can't hear you."

The boy nodded and sat down on the deck and looked at Will.

"Are you a fairy? In a game I play you put fairies in bottles." He asked as he tried to guess what the boy could be but the boy shook his head again; Will was a little sad that he wasn't a real fairy but still wanted to know how he had gotten in the bottle.

"Are you a genie or a djinn? I've read about them, they are magical people that live inside bottles and lamps and things." Will said but again the boy shook his head again and then sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them.

"Are you like those little people that live in houses that are the size of dolls?" Will asked trying to think of any other creature he's read about or seen in movies or games that might explain this boy but again the boy shook his head.

Will felt kind of sad looking at him and seeing him trapped this way.

"Are you a regular boy like me?"

This time the boy nodded sadly and Will felt really bad for him but also wondered how a regular boy could be put into a bottle with a tiny ship.

"Did someone do this to you?" Will asked and the boy nodded.

 _But who would do something like this and why?_

"How long have you been in there?" Will asked and the boy seemed to think about it and held his hands out wide.

"A really long time?" Will asked and the boy nodded again letting him know that he was right.

"Can you get out?" Will asked and the boy looked around as if he hated seeing everything around him and then back at Will and shook his head yet again.

"Do you think I could get you out?" Will asked; he really wanted to help this boy.

The boy looked at him for a while but then looked away, Will wondered if he thought that it was impossible, but that just made Will want to try even more.

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you. I promise!" he said with the best reassuring smile he could muster but the boy didn't seem convinced.

"Really, no matter how long it takes I'll find a way to get you out of there and back to normal!"

The boy stared at him but nodded slightly and Will smiled again. He was determined to find some way to get the boy out of the bottle even if he had to learn magic himself, he would get him out.

…

Will raced downstairs to tell his uncle about the things he had found in the attic.

"I found this cool chest with seashells and other things inside and there was this bottle with a boat inside! I think it's magic!" Will said really excitedly when he ran into his uncle's study.

His uncle chuckled and chalked it up to the imagination of a young child.

"Oh Will, it's just a model. You can get them at the hobby shops down by the pier, though I don't know if they have any quite like that one, it's an antique. I got that chest at an old shop years ago but haven't brought it out for quite some time."

Will didn't care about the models at the gift shop, he knew this one was really magic and he wanted to know more about it but knew his uncle wouldn't believe him about the little boy trapped inside. Adults were weird like that.

"Can we bring it out now? I want to be able to see it while I'm here visiting; I promise I won't break it!" Will tried to look as sincere as possible because he wanted his uncle to let him bring the little boy out of the attic and to somewhere where he could see and talk to him every day.

His uncle seemed to think it over for a minute or so but finally agreed.

"Alright, I don't see the harm in bringing it down. And we could redecorate the living room with the knickknacks from the chest as well."

Will smiled and nodded, he'd redecorate the whole house if that's what it took.

"I'll help!"

…

Later that evening Will sat by the bookcase that his uncle had placed the bottle on and pretended that he was practicing reading out loud as he lay with the bottle in front of him and read stories to the boy inside.

The boy in the bottle sat in the crow's nest at the top of the main mast and happily listened to Will read to him.

This became a regular thing for Will while he stayed at his uncle's house that summer. Every day he would look through the mountains of books his uncle had collected over the years or go to old shops in the small town down the road and find any that were about magic or pirates or ships and read them each evening to the little boy in the bottle. He already considered him a friend, and friends helped friends so he would help this boy just like he said.

…

Will's uncle figured that Will had just dreamed up an imaginary friend because there were no other kids in the area that were his age but he thought that if it kept Will occupied and happy then it would be alright for the young boy to read quietly to this imaginary friend and pretend to be on a pirate ship together, kids had great imaginations and that should be encouraged.

But then one night while they were sleeping someone broke into the house and ransacked the lower part of the house, the study and living room had books thrown everywhere and pages torn and strewn all over the floor, there were upturned chairs and tables as well as fallen paintings from the wall.

Will's uncle had warned Will to stay in his room while he called the police and by the time they arrived the intruder was gone.

It took a while to find out what exactly had been taken, there were books and artwork missing that could possibly be worth something, but what devastated Will the most was that the bottle was gone, and with it his tiny friend.

 _Who would do such a thing? Did they know it was magic?_

Did they know that his friend was stuck inside on that ship? Will went back to his room and cried himself to sleep thinking of the friend that was stolen from him and the promise that he'd never be able to keep.

…

When Will's mother came to pick him up from his uncle's a couple days later he was still feeling upset about what had happened. When his mother asked what was wrong his uncle explained that there had been a break-in and that someone had stolen many things and ruined some of the books that Will had gotten while staying there and among the stolen items was the ship in a bottle that Will had really liked.

Will's mom had promised to get him a new one from the gift shop on their way home but Will didn't want a new one, a new one wouldn't have his friend inside. A new one wouldn't be magical. A new one wouldn't help him keep his promise.

Will just shook his head and followed his mother to the car without a word; he was deeply saddened by the loss of the boy on the boat.

 **Okay be honest, is it weird? I was listening to this song and it made me think of Nico and Will and though I had another idea for it which I shall get to eventually, this came to mind today and I needed to get it started before it faded away. I have no idea where this is going really but hey writing is an adventure! Yeah this is kind of sad right now but they'll be together again I promise.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think so far.**


	2. Chapter 2 Through the glass

**Chapter 2 Through the glass**

Nico had spent much of his time reading books about pirates because they were exciting and he wondered what it would be like to sail around the oceans and seas seeing magical creatures or new lands. It was so amazing and it was what he wanted to do when he grew up. His mother and sister laughed and smiled at how excited he would get talking about the great adventures he would have if he grew up to be a pirate.

"Where would you sail if you did become a pirate?" his mother asked with a smile on her face as she listened to him once again talking about how great it would be to go on grand adventures.

"I'd go everywhere! I'd have a great ship and sail all around the world! I'd see lots of places and lots of people and make a lot of friends in faraway places!" he exclaimed as he bounced on his bed while his mother tried to get him to settle down and sleep.

"That sounds wonderful; maybe you could be the captain of the ship." she said as she smiled at him.

He beamed at her as he finally climbed under the covers as she tucked him in.

"I'd be a great captain!" he said before yawning, his mother smiled again and leaned down to kiss his head.

"I'm sure you would, now sweet dreams." she left the room and let him slip into dreams of sailing all around the world on a ship of his very own.

…

Nico had been sitting outside on the front steps reading about pirates once again when a man came over and sat with him. Nico looked up at the man when he noticed him there but then went back to reading.

"So you like pirates too do you?" the man asked.

Nico looked up at the man with a little more interest this time.

"You like pirates?" his eyes were wide with wonder; this was the first grownup that said that he liked pirates too. Bianca had said that most adults just thought that was silly kid's stuff.

"Yes, I happen to know some pirates."

Nico's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened in shock.

"You do?"

The man smiled and nodded.

"Oh yes, I even know where to find a real pirate ship. Would you like to see it?" The man asked and Nico nodded his head very enthusiastically.

"Yes!" he said with a big smile on his face, he wanted to see what a real pirate ship looked like! Maybe then he could see what it was like to be a real pirate. He couldn't wait to tell Mama and Bianca about it!

He was about to go inside and tell them but the man held out his arm to stop him and Nico looked at him feeling puzzled.

"It won't take long, we'll be right back and then you can tell your family all about it."

Nico thought about it for a moment then nodded and when the man stood up he held his hand out for Nico to take. Nico left his book sitting forgotten on the front steps and grabbed hold of the man's offered hand and walked alongside him down the street heading for the docks.

"My name's Nico, what's yours?" He asked as they walked.

The man smiled and looked down at him.

"You can call me Zephyr." He said and Nico nodded before continuing with his questions.

"Have you met lots of pirates?"

Zephyr nodded.

"Oh yes, lots and lots." He said and Nico grinned.

"Is it a big ship?"

"Yes." Zephyr said.

"Have you sailed around the world?" Nico asked next.

Zephyr chuckled almost to himself.

"I've been to many places yes."

Nico's eyes grew again, that was his dream.

"Wow!" he whispered in awe.

…

When they reached the docks Zephyr led the way to the furthest one, there Nico saw a huge ship docked that looked better than any picture in his books.

"Is that the ship?" he asked feeling excitement well up in him because he was finally going to be able to see a real pirate ship!

"Indeed it is. Why don't you go get a closer look?" Zephyr said and Nico looked at him to see if he was joking or not.

"I can?"

"Of course, head on up." He motioned to the gangplank leading up to the ship and Nico happily rushed up but once he's on the ship something feels off.

"Are you sure this is a real pirate ship?" he asked as he looked around at the deserted decks, there didn't seem to be any sign of anyone having been on the ship at any point which was odd because according to his books there were always a lot of people in the crew to keep the ship going.

"Oh I'm sure, or at least it was until I took it."

Nico looked around for Zephyr but he couldn't see him anywhere and something was starting to really feel wrong, he didn't want to be here anymore, he just wanted to go back home to mama and Bianca. But when he started to head back he stopped in his tracks when he saw that the gangplank was no longer there and more of that strange feeling settled in as the world began to spin around him.

Nico felt so dizzy he ended up falling onto the deck he had been standing on and when he was able to sit up again he saw a large shadow fall across the deck like dark clouds blocking the sun, but when he looked up he let out a scream because instead of clouds blocking the sun he saw a giant face looking down at him and smiling.

"I hope the accommodations are to your liking, you'll be here awhile. But don't worry, like this you'll never have to worry about being hungry or getting sick or growing old, you'll stay this way forever."

Nico let out a sob as he realized he had made a terrible mistake coming with this man and his mama and sister would never know what had happened to him because he hadn't said anything to them about where he was going.

…

Years had passed, at least he assumed that's what it had been seeing how much things have changed with time, well everything except him and Zephyr, Nico had seen many different things and had been to many different places on his own ship just like he always said he would, but it wasn't like he had dreamed at all.

He'd tried so many times to get someone to help him, to get anyone to just see or hear him but no one ever did no matter how hard he tried. At one point he thought he was saved when his ship that now resided inside of a glass bottle had accidentally wound up in the wrong crate and he found himself at long last away from the man who had put him there.

But even though he had managed to get away from Zephyr he was still stuck and still no one could see or hear him.

At least that had been the case until the day a light came through the darkness he had been locked in for so long and he saw what seemed to be a boy about his age or so looking at the ship he was on inside the bottle. What had surprized Nico the most though was how the boy's face changed when he saw him, actually saw him!

When he had seemed to be startled by finding Nico he had gone away and Nico felt that small bit of hope begin to fade again until the boy came back with a magnifying glass in his hand to get a better look at him.

"Hello there." The boy says excitedly and smiles even more when the Nico looks at him.

"You're real right?" the boy asked and Nico nodded.

"My name's Will, what's yours?" he asked but Nico just looked down sadly and shook his head. He knew it was pointless to try and tell Will his name when he knew he wouldn't hear him anyway.

Will's eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what was wrong.

"You don't have a name?"

Nico shook his head while motioning with his arms that that was wrong.

"You can't speak?" Will asked and Nico tried his best to say something anyway.

"You can't hear me right?" while talking he gestured to his mouth then pointed at the glass around him and Will began to understand.

"You can hear me but I can't hear you."

Nico nodded and sat down on the deck and looked at Will.

"Are you a fairy? In a game I play you put fairies in bottles." Will asked as he tried to guess what Nico could be but he shook his head again; Will seemed a little sad that he wasn't a fairy but still seemed to want to know how he had gotten in the bottle.

"Are you a genie or a djinn? I've read about them, they are magical people that live inside bottles and lamps and things." Will said but again Nico shook his head and then sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. He had finally found someone who could see him but he still couldn't hear him.

"Are you like those little people that live in houses that are the size of dolls?" Will asked but again Nico shook his head.

"Are you a regular boy like me?"

This time Nico nodded sadly and Will looked really sad for him but also seemed to wonder how a regular boy could be put into a bottle with a tiny ship.

"Did someone do this to you?" Will asked and Nico nodded.

"How long have you been in there?" Will asked and Nico thought about it and held his hands out wide.

"A really long time?" Will asked and Nico nodded again letting him know that he was right.

"Can you get out?" Will asked and Nico looked around thinking about how much he hated seeing everything around him because he was going to be stuck here like this forever and then looked back at Will and shook his head yet again.

"Do you think I could get you out?" Will asked.

Nico looked at him for a while but then looked away, there was no way that a regular boy could help him out it was impossible, but that just seemed to make Will want to try even more.

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you. I promise!" he said with the best reassuring smile he could muster but Nico didn't feel convinced.

"Really, no matter how long it takes I'll find a way to get you out of there and back to normal!"

Nico stared at him but nodded slightly and Will smiled again. Maybe he could help him somehow, after all he was the only one after so long who could actually see him.

 **Why did this take so long?! Ahhhhhhh!**

 **I had about a third of this written pretty much since I finished chapter 1 but I hit a wall with it and then I woke up like 3 hours before my alarm and wrote most of the chapter before work yesterday, now here we are! I actually wanted to look it over and post it yesterday after I got home from work but I passed out right after supper and slept for about 12 hours, but now that I finally have some time off work I can get back to writing!**

 **Please let me know what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3 Cries no one hears

**Chapter 3 Cries no one hears**

Nico had really grown to like spending time with Will. Even though he couldn't actually hear Nico Will still talked to him enough that it felt like they were already good friends. When Will decided to start reading to Nico he had really enjoyed it, especially when Will had found books about pirates and magic.

The pirate stories reminded him of before he was trapped in this bottle but it also brought back the good memories so he didn't mind so much, he knew since long ago that he probably wouldn't see his mama or sister again so it was nice to be able to think back and remember their smiling faces as he told them about all of his dreams of adventures on the high seas. It seems that the magic placed on him kept his memories just as they were too.

The books on magic were really interesting, though Will hadn't found anything about getting small people out of magic bottles he still found some interesting things that kept them both captivated as Will read to him each night by the fire place.

Nico was starting to enjoy his new life living in the bottle on Will's uncle's bookcase, at least he no longer felt alone.

But that couldn't last for long, nothing around him ever did.

Late one night long after Will and his uncle had gone to bed there was a noise that didn't belong in the quite house. Nico sat on the deck and listened closely as he tried to figure out what the sound could be. It almost sounded like rustling and… footsteps? But they hadn't come from the stairs so it couldn't be Will's uncle and they were too heavy to be Will.

Even though he knew it wasn't likely for the intruder to be able to see or hear him Nico still felt the need to hide so he ran for the door of the small cabin and left it open just a crack so that he was still able to see out. He didn't know why he was so scared but his heart was racing harder than he could ever remember it doing before, and when the intruder walked into the room Nico felt like his heart had leapt into his throat.

The intruder had a soft glow surrounding his body and Nico held his breath hoping that he wouldn't be found; he'd always dreaded the day that he would be found and it seemed that day was finally here. He'd rather be locked back up in Will's uncles attic than have _him_ be here now.

Nico crouched down and hid his head in his knees as he tried not to make a sound but knowing he'd be taking away once again.

"I know you're in there." It was said softly, as though it had come from a loving parent knowing their child was trying to hide under the blankets but Nico felt his stomach drop at those words.

"I've been looking for you for a very long time you know."

Nico didn't bother trying to fight back the tears now; he began sobbing uncontrollably, his body shaking as he cried.

"I'm here to take you back now; I'll make sure no one else ever takes you away from me again."

No! No no no no no! He didn't want to be found! He didn't want to go back! He wanted to stay here with his friend where he was happy! Nico's heart cried out as everything set in.

Nico wanted to call for help, for someone to come and get him away from the man who had trapped him in this bottle but he knew no one would hear him and that no one could help him. He was never going to escape, and whatever mistake had led to him being separated from Zephyr in the first place would never happen again, of that he was certain.

He could feel his heart breaking as he realised that the small amount of joy he'd found here sitting on the deck listening to Will read to him or telling him stories about his day would be gone forever. He'd never find that again, even though Will had promised to find a way to get him out, there was no way it could ever happen now.

In all the years that he's been trapped alone and unseen and unheard by the world around him, Nico has never felt despair like this before, never had hope ripped away from him before. All was lost and all he could do was cry.

…

Zephyr smiled as he picked up on the sounds of Nico crying within the ship's cabin, he'd searched for so long and now he had his possession back.

Through no error of their own the owner of this house had wound up with his precious trinket in his possession and for managing to keep it from him Zephyr was going to make him pay.

With the swipe of a hand after he had picked up the bottle and placed it gently in the bag he was wearing he let loose a gust of wind that would devastate the house as if a thousand hands had torn it apart.

Innocent or not, no one took what was rightfully his and kept it away from him. And if anyone were to purposely try and take what was his they would pay dearly.

Surveying the damage his spell had inflicted Zephyr was satisfied that punishment had been dealt to whomever lived here and without another thought on the matter lifted himself off the ground with another spell so that he wouldn't have to walk through the aftermath of the destruction he had wrought.

"I know you must have been lonely having no one to see or hear you but I have you back now so you won't be alone anymore." He knew Nico probably wasn't listening to his words, the sounds of crying still carried from the bottle as he left the house and left all thoughts of it behind him, he needn't bother thinking the mortals anymore now that he had what he had come for.

"I've been searching for you for a long time you know, and when I found that you were here I had a look around and I must say I rather like it here. Maybe we'll stay for a time; I see no reason to leave."

…

Nico could hear Zephyr's words but didn't want to listen, that is until he mentioned staying in this area.

They traveled a lot over the years and had stay for different lengths of time in various placed but Nico knew that the more Zephyr liked a place the longer he planned to stay there.

A small speck of hope rose up within him that maybe he'd be able to see Will again but then he remembered that Will didn't actually live here in this town but had only been visiting his uncle while his mom was away. That meant that he'd probably never find him again and the despair from before came crashing back on him like a wave, and with it an underlying feeling of fear that of Will were to ever find him again then he might be hurt or worse if Zephyr caught him.

With that thought Nico's hope from before to maybe see Will again was drowned out by thoughts of what might happen if Zephyr knew. He could never see his new friend again, it would only bring him harm if he tried to keep his promise and Nico could tell that Will had every intention to do so. He'd rather be taken away again than to lose Will, this was the way it had to be to keep his new friend safe.

 **Wow that took way longer than I thought it would!**

 **Anyway I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far, sorry not much has really happened yet but I'll eventually continue and take to where I had originally intended to go with it, it's one of those connect the dots things I do when I come up with plot points but then have to figure out how to actually get to said point...**

 **Anyway time jump coming up next!**

 **As always please let me know what you think!**


End file.
